1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for making rubber gloves and other products of latex rubber using a dipping process, and more particularly to apparatus for producing beads around the edges of the products so formed.
2. Description of the prior Art
The manufacture of various thin latex rubber products, such as household rubber gloves, medical or surgical gloves, balloons, condoms and the like, use a dipping process in which a form having the shape of the article to be made is dipped into a bath of liquid latex rubber to produce a thin film of rubber on the form. The form is then removed from the bath and may be further processed as necessary prior to curing. After this processing, the form with the uncured rubber thereon is cured in an oven, following which the finished article is removed from the form.
There are various problems associated with the forming of thin rubber articles by this method. One problem involves the formation of a bead or lip on the finished article. Particularly with articles such as rubber gloves, it is desirable to have a bead or lip around the opening in the glove to make it easier to slip on or remove the glove without ripping it. These beads are somewhat difficult to achieve, however, because the dipping process provides a uniform thin film of rubber over the entire form. Therefore, the bead or lip must be formed after the form has been removed from the bath and prior to final curing.
The bead is most easily formed by rolling up a portion of the rubber film from the opening to form the bead. However, heretofore there has not been any apparatus available for easily forming this bead in an automated manner so that a uniform and consistent amount of the rubber film is rolled up to form the bead without operator assistance.
One of the problems in forming the bead involves the loosening of the edge of the article so that the film can be rolled up. The uncured rubber is tacky and is often adhered to the form, making it difficult to begin rolling up the rubber film because the edge of the film will not easily come loose.
Thus it would be desirable to provide a means for effectively loosening the rubber film from bottom of the form so that a bead can be formed, and to then provide a means for automatically forming this bead after the film has been loosened.